The present invention relates generally to orthotic devices such as supportive and cushioning insoles for footwear. More particularly, the present invention relates to durable, reusable insoles, pads, arch supports, and heel lifts for open shoes.
There are a great many mass-produced orthotic and insole products. Some insoles primarily provide cushioning, while others primarily provide support. Cushioning insoles are generally formed of soft material, such as foam or gel materials, while support insoles are generally formed of rigid or semirigid polymers. People suffering from any of a wide variety of foot-related ailments that can be relieved through additional cushioning or support, or who simply desire more cushioning or support, or both, than is available from their shoes, can purchase these insoles and insert them into their shoes. Typically, these insoles are temporarily retained by the walls of the shoes. Cushioning insoles are designed to conform to the interiors of shoes, while products designed for support maintain their own structure. Heel lifts are a support product used for individuals with a leg length discrepancy to assist with achieving improved alignment of the pelvis and spine.
Open shoes, such as men's and women's sandals, women's “strappy” dress heels and slides, do not have walls to maintain the position of cushioning insoles or supportive devices, or both. FIG. 1 shows a women's dress shoe 100, which is a typical open shoe. The dress shoe includes a shoe body 140 including a heel 145. The shoe body 140 also includes the foot bed 130 upon which a wearer stands while wearing the dress shoe. The dress shoe 100, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a forefoot strap 110 and the ankle strap 120, which is adjustable to retain the shoe on a wearer's foot.
Alternately, there may only be a forefoot strap on the dress shoe 100. The dress shoe 100 is typical in that only about 30 percent of the outer perimeter of the foot bed 130 is shielded from view by the straps 110 and 120. Further, this openness permits visibility of nearly the entire perimeter of the foot bed 130. A wide variety of open shoes exist, each permitting visibility of its foot bed to varying degrees; however, in each case, use of a typical cushioning or supporting insole permits visibility of the device through the open shoe.
There have been some attempts to provide cushioning insoles for open shoes. These insoles are thin, flat, and made of a gel which only cushions the foot. These products are not intended to nor do they provide a structural orthotic arch support to the foot for an open shoe.
Current orthotic products designed to support a wearer's foot would be unfashionably visible through open shoes.
Further, existing orthotics (e.g., supportive insoles) include no means for securing themselves to remain in place while used in an open shoe, and therefore would fall out of place when not weighted down by a wearer's foot.
Therefore, there is a need for orthotic products for open shoes that provide arch and other orthotic support for the foot.